CLEVELAND — An individual has been arrested for alleged attempted support of a terrorist organization in planning an attack in downtown Cleveland on July 4.
Demetrius Pitts, also known as Abdur Raheem Rahfeeq, was arrested on Sunday after expressing his desire to harm Cleveland citizens during the Independence Day festivities, Fox 8 Cleveland reported.
The FBI first began investigating Pitts in 2017 after he made statements proclaiming his desire to join and/or support Al Qaeda. They said he showed to have violent intentions and even expressed a willingness to conduct an attack on U.S. soil.
In May, Pitts moved to Cleveland where he continued to express a desire to commit acts of violence.
Lass week, he met with an undercover agent at which time he allegedly talked about how an attack should take place on July 4th. Over the next few days he allegedly began surveying potential targets including a downtown park.
At some point, he indicated to authorities that he planned to use a van packed with explosives to harm as many people as he could.
The final meeting with the undercover agent took place on Sunday.
Authorities said Pitts is a United States citizen,